Television stand having a tilt mechanism

ABSTRACT

In a television stand secured tiltably to a base stand and provided with a television fixedly put on it, the tilt of the movable member is stopped by the energized force to a movable device by the abutment to the cam surface formed at the movable member or the base stand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a television stand fixedly put a monitortelevision or the like thereon, and especially relates to a televisionstand having a tilt mechanism by which said television can be supportedwith an arbitary angle.

In quality controls such as a process control, part controlling analysisor the like in a production line of a factory, it is generally performedto observe or to measure by projecting the field, the information andthe like on monitor television. In such television it is necessary toset a screen of a Brown tube at the fittest angle for seeing it from thestandpoint of biotechnology such as fatigue decrease of an operator,increase of the operation and the like.

Heretofore, for this purpose, the television stand is formed to be ableto control as angle of elevation even in a fixed state.

Heretofore, such kind of apparatus, there exists an inclined mechanismhaving an inclination of display station (U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,243)

This is a parallel type inclined mechanism for a green of theinformation display controlling disc having a fixed base portion, inwhich the screen is pivotably attached around a hinged axis in thehorizontal direction and a cam having a cam operation surface exists ina surface meets at right angle with said hinged axis is pivotablyattached to a frame of the screen side, and further a projectionenergized with pressure by dint of spring is fixed to the frame of baseside. Thus the friction operation force between said cam and theprojection is adapted to balance with the operation force due to thegravity which operates to the screen so that said screen may be rotatedaround said hinged axis in whole inclination position. Since thismaintains the screen angle with friction force, when the weight of anobject for inclination is large or when the position of center ofgravity is out of the hinged axis, a great friction force is requested.Further, in case of controlling an angle degree, together with a greatoperation force is requested, the maintenance of necessary frictionforce is difficult for long period due to the large friction of thesliding surface.

Further, said inclination mechanism is different between the pivotablyattached center and that of the cam, and the structure and operationthereof are also complicated. Accordingly, said mechanism has a defectof difficulty in design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to provide a television stand which isable to control its degree of angle with a very small operation forceand has a tilt mechanism having a small amount of friction loss.

Another object of this invention is to provide a television standwherein a spring and cams are used as a tilt mechanism to occur nearlythe same torque as a moment of rotation due to the weight of the tiltedtelevision thereby balancing said weight of the television with theoccurred torque.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Drawings represent television stands appropriate to perform someembodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are respectively a side and a rear views which show anembodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view which shows operation of a spring with cam surfaceincorporated in the television stand.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view which shows a state of change of thespring torque according to the inclination of the movable member.

FIG. 5 is a side view when the cam is designed.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are respectively a side and a rear view which showanother embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are respectively a side and a rear view which show afurther another embodiment of this invention and

FIG. 10 is its exploded view.

FIG. 11 is an example contained a movable member in a television,wherein said 11(a) is a partially broken side view which shows a mim.inclined degree of angle state of the television and said 11(b) is apartially broken side view which shows a max. inclined degree of anglestate of the television. And

FIG. 12 is a partially broken rear view of the above example.

THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS INVENTION

The side view of the television stand of this invention is shown in FIG.1 and its rear view is shown in FIG. 2. The television 1 is fixedly puton the movable member 2, the movable member 2 is secured to a U typebase stand 4 having a pair of standing walls placed on a plane of adisc, floor or the like. A pair of brackets 8 are continuously connecteddanglingly to both right and left sides at the lower back surface ofmovable member 2.

In front of the upper portion of said brackets 8, together with an axis3 being bridged, said axis is supported by the base stand 4, and themovable member 2 is adapted to tilt to the front and the rear with axis3 as a center.

At the rear portion of said bracket 8 of said movable member, a camsurface 9 having a curved shape is formed. Further, at a pair ofstanding walls exist at the rear portion of the base stand 4, inclinedguide slits 4a, 4a are openly provided. A movable device of this exampleconsists of a shaft inserted into said guide slits 4a, 4a so that bothends of said shaft may be slided to the front and rear directionsthereof and rotors 6,6 supported by both inner sides of the standingwalls of the base stand 4 of said shaft 5, said rotors 6,6 beingenergized so as to abut to said pair of cam surfaces 9,9 respectively bydint of a pair of spring 7,7 bridged between said axis 3 and shaft 5.The abutment of rotor 6 to the cam surface 9 in case of tilting of themovable member is performed by the rotation of the rotor 6 along the camsurface 9 which causes by the movement of the cam surface 9 due to thetilt of said movable member 2. In this case, the shaft 5 slides to thefront and the rear directions of the slit 4a by being pressed with camsurface 9 rotating along the inner side of the guide slit 4a accordingto the shape of the cam surface. This sliding is defined so that therotor 6 may be stopped by the abutment of rotor 6 to the stopperportions 9a, 9a formed at both ends of the cam surface 9 standingly.

The said springs 7,7 are adapted to expand or contract according to theslide of such shaft 5, thereby changing the energized force (torque) tothe rotor in accordance with an inclined angle of the movable member 2.

In other words, the torque is balanced so as to be the same as themoment of rotation due to the weight of the television which changesaccording to the inclination of the movable member 2. For this purpose,the shape of cam surface 9 of the movable member 2 is formed so that themoment of rotation may be balanced with the energized force (torque) ofthe spring 7.

Further, the weight of television depends upon a kind of television usedand the same kind of television shows a nearly same weight. Accordingly,the shape of cam is formed so as to be balanced with the moment ofrotation in accordance with the weight of this kind of television.

In this example formed as such, the television 1 inclines to and fro dueto the rotation of the movable member 2 with the axis 3 as a centerthereof. In this case, the spring 7 expands or contracts according tothe movement of cam surface 9 even in any inclined angle, therebycausing the same energized force (torque) as the moment of rotation dueto the weight of television to balance each other. Therefore, a stablestopping state can be maintained at an arbitrary position.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 illustrate the relation between the moment of rotationdue to the weight of such television and the torque of spring. Namely,in a state of solid line R, in FIG. 3, the torque T, of the spring isproduct of a distance from the axis 3 (center of rotation) to theabutted portion a of cam surface 9 with rotor 6 and a component P₁ ' ofa spring force P₁,

    T.sub.1 =Oa×P.sub.1 '

This T is adapted to balance with the moment of rotation of thetelevision. Further, the state R₂ in two points chain line of FIG. 2 isalso the same. The torque T₂ of spring is as follows.

    T.sub.2 =Ob×P.sub.2 '(P.sub.2 ': component of spring force P.sub.2)

In this state, the inclined angle of the television is large and theamount of rotation is also large accordingly the torque T of the springbecomes larger so much so that it may be balanced each other.

Accordingly, however changed the inclined angle of the television maybe, the moment of the rotation is cancelled by the energized force(torque) of the spring and a stable state can be always maintained,thereby being capable of tilting the television with a small force ofoperation. Further, this inclination can be performed with nonstep.

Then, FIG. 5 is a side view of an example of bracket 8 wherein such camsurface 9 as described above is formed. This cam surface 9 is designedaccording to the dimension of Table 1 described in the next page 6. Inother words, supposing an angle between the standard line OA whichconnects the standard point A of the cam surface 9 with the centralpoint O of the rotation of the movable member 2 and a designed line OBwhich connects an arbitrary point B on the cam surface with the centralpoint O as θ, the shape of the cam surface can be designed by changingthe length of OB on said angle θ. Further, both points ES are boundarypoints with stopper portion 9a which corresponds to a starting point ofthe movement and a finished point of the movement of the movable member2 accompanying with the tilt of said movable member 2 respectively.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                                θ (deg)                                                                       ##STR1##                                                        ______________________________________                                               -1.56 100.00 BS                                                               -0.59 98.85                                                                   0.38  97.70                                                                   1.35  96.56                                                                   2.33  95.42                                                                   3.30  94.28                                                                   4.28  93.15                                                                   5.25  92.03                                                                   6.22  90.92                                                                   7.20  89.81                                                                   8.18  88.71                                                                   9.16  87.62                                                                   10.14 86.55                                                                   11.13 85.50                                                                   12.12 84.45                                                                   13.11 83.42                                                                   14.11 82.41                                                                   15.11 81.43                                                                   16.13 80.46                                                                   17.16 79.52                                                                   18.19 78.62 BE                                                         ______________________________________                                    

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are a side view and back view of another embodiment ofthis invention respectively, in which the same portions as the exampledescribed before correspond with the same symbols respectively. A camsurface 9 in this example is formed on the upper surfaces of a pair ofstanding walls and the rotor 6 abuts said cam surface 9 thereon. Therotor 6 is axially supported by the shaft 5 inserted into 2 positions atthe front and the rear of the bracket 8 of the movable member 2.

In other words, the movable device of this example consists of the shaft5 having both ends thereof inserted into the bracket 8 and rotors 6,6axially supported by the both sides of the outer sides of the bracket 8of the shaft 5. The spring 7 which energizes the rotor 6 in thedirection of the cam surface 9 comprises one piece of coil spring, whichis bridged between the lower portion of the base stand 4 and the lowerportion of the movable member 2. Even in this example the shape of camsurface 9 is formed so that the moment of rotation may be balanced withthe energized force of spring 7, thereby being adapted to maintain thebalance at an arbitrary inclined angle.

Then, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are an elevation view and its sectional areaview in IX--IX line of further another example of this invention. Inthis example the base stand 4 consist of a fixed disc 10 at the outercircumferential side of said base side 4 and a rotary disc 11 rotatablyinserted into said fixed disc being pasted with a cushion 12 made ofrubber plate or the like at the lower surface thereof. A housing 13 issecured at the central portion of the rotary disc 11, said housing 13containing a bracket 8 dangling from the lower surface of the movablemember 2, an axis 3 which is a center of the rotation of the movablemember 2, a shaft 5 axially support a rotor 6 which abuts to a camsurface 9 formed at bracket 8, and a pair of springs 7,7 which energizesthe rotor 6 to the cam surface 9 respectively therein. Furthermore,bearings 18 are outwardly inserted at the both ends of the shaft 5, saideach bearing 18 being provided between an inclined guide rail 14 screwedon the inner wall of the housing 13 and a ceiling portion 13a of thehousing and being adapted to rotate abutting the guide rail 14.

In other words, the movable device of this example consists of the shaft5 slidably installed to the front and the rear directions between theguide rail 14 and the ceiling surface 13a of the housing throughbearings 18, 18 at both ends and the rotors 6,6 axially supported at theboth sides of said shaft 5, said rotors 6,6 being adapted to abutrespectively to a pair of cam surfaces 9,9 bridged between said axis 3and the shaft 5. In FIG. 9, the numeral 15 is a rotary plate whichpushes the fixed disc 10, and rotary disc 11 from the lower surface sothat both discs may not draw out and regulates a rotary angle of therotary disc 11 within a certain range, said rotary plate being fixedlysecured to the rotary disc 11 with screws 16.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the assembly of thetelevision stand as shown such an example. Brackets 8,8 having ] typeare screwed on the lower surface of a plate 2a put fixedly saidtelevision thereon, are screwed to form the movable member 2. Then theaxis 3 is inserted into the bearing 16 secured to the inner wall ofhousing 13 in a state that the shaft 5 is connected with axis 3 througha pair of spring 7,7 and are fixed with E rings 17. In this case, camrotors 6,6 abut to the cam surface 9 of the bracket 8 and the bearings18,18 which roll along the guide rails 14,14 are respectively providedat both ends of the shaft, said rotors 6,6 and said bearings 18,18 beingadapted to abut to the cam surface 9 and between the guide rail 14 andthe ceiling surface portion 13a of the housing respectively. Afterinsertion of said housing 13 into the rotation disc 11, said rotationdisc 11 is adapted to mate with a fixed disc 10 and then the rotaryplate 5 is adapted to abut thereto from the lower surface. The rotaryplate 15, the rotary disc 11 and the housing 13 are integrally formed byscrewing the screws 16 with the housing 13. In this case, around theouter circumferential surface of the rotary plate 15, a groove 15 isformed and at the fixed disc 10 stopper pins (not shown) which contactwith said groove 15a are planted. The rotation of the rotation disc 11is regulated within the range wherein the stopper pins abut to the bothends of the groove 15a.

Further, the numeral 13b of the housing is a slit inserted into thebracket 8.

Each figure of FIGS. 11(a),11(b) and FIG. 12 shows the same example,which is the same structures as that of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 other than thestructure comprising the bracket 80 fixed to the inner wall of thetelevision and the base stand 40 consisting of a fixed disc 41 of theouter circumferential side and a rotative disc 42 incorporated into saiddisc 41 rotatively. Accordingly, the same members as the examplesdescribed above are indicated with the same numerals.

The tilt operation of this example is the same as that of the exampledescribed above since these have the same structure. The television 1tilts to the front and the rear due to the rotation of the bracket 80with axis 3 as a center. In this case, the spring 7 expands andcontracts according to the movement of the cam surface 9 at any inclinedangle, whereby the same energized force (torque) as the moment of therotation due to the weight of the television occurs to be balanced eachother. Therefore, a stable state not in motion is maintained at anarbitrary position. FIG. 11(a) shows a mim. inclined angle of thetelevision and a mim. torque state of the spring 7, while FIG. 11(b)shows a max. incline angle of the television and a max. torque state ofthe spring 7. In the figure, the numeral 90 is a rotational axis.

In this example, since it is not only possible to make the movablemember 2 incline, but also enables to rotate said movable stand 2 in thehorizontal plane, it is easy to fit to an operator's position and pose.

Further, this invention is not limited to the above examples, but manymodifications are possible. For instance, in place of securing theroller to the moving device securing the slider which only slides ispossible. Furthermore, the shape of cam surface is changeable suitably,and the use of compression spring is also possible.

According to this invention as described above, since the tilt mechanismof this invention is reformed so that the moment of the rotation due tothe weight of television may be balanced with the energized force ofspring according to the movable device, the tilt of the television canbe regulated at an arbitrary angle and with no steps. Furthermore, sincethere is no use of friction force, the tilting operation can beperformed with small force and the operation is also stable, a greatpractical effect can be obtained.

What we claim is:
 1. A television stand comprising: a base stand, amovable member pivotably supported on said base stand for supporting atelevision, a tilt mechanism including a cam surface formed by one ofsaid movable member and said base stand and a pressurized movable deviceabutting said cam surface for positioning of said movable member, andsaid can surface is formed so that the bias force of said movable deviceagainst said cam surface corresponds to a balanced force with respect tothe moment of rotation due to the weight of said television.
 2. Atelevision stand according to claim 1 wherein the movable device isenergized by a spring bridged between said movable device and a shaftwhich pivotably mounts the movable member on the base stand.
 3. Atelevision stad according to claim 1 wherein said cam surface is definedby said movable member and the movable base includes a guide slit inwhich the movable device is slidably inserted.
 4. A television standaccording to claim 1 wherein said cam surface includes stopper portionsfor stopping the movement of said movable device.
 5. A television standfor supporting a television monitor at a desired position, saidtelevision stand comprising:a base stand, a movable member forsupporting said television monitor, tilt means for fixing said movablemember with respect to said base stand, said tilt means including a camsurface defined by said movable member, a movable device slidablymounted in guide means defined by said base stand, a shaft mounted onsaid base stand and said movable member being pivotably mounted on saidshaft, and a spring suspended between said movable device and said shaftfor energizing said movable device so that said movable device abutssaid cam surface and the position of abutment to the cam surface by saidmovable device changes according to the tilt of the movable member, saidcam surface being shaped so that the energized force of the spring isbalanced with a revolution moment of said movable member due to theweight of the television monitor, and said moveable member thereby isheld at a desired position.
 6. A television stand according to claim 5wherein a guide slit forms said guide means and a rotor mounted on saidmovable device rotatably abuts against said cam surface.
 7. A televisionstand according to claim 5 wherein a guide rail as a guide means isfixed on said base stand.
 8. A television stand according to claim 5wherein stopper members are formed at both ends of the cam surface forstopping the movement of said movable device.
 9. A television standaccording to claim 5 wherein the base stand consists of a fixed disk, arotary plate inserted into this fixed disk rotatively in a horizontaldirection, and a portion which secures the movable member attached tosaid rotary plate.
 10. A television stand comprising:a base stand, amovable member, a television monitor mounted on said movable member,tilt means for fixing said movable member with respect to said basestand, said tilt means including a cam surface defined by said movablemember, said movable device slidably mounted in guide means defined bysaid base stand, a shaft mounted on said base stand and said movablemember being pivotably mounted on said shaft, and a spring suspendedbetween said movable device and said shaft for energizing said movabledevice so that said movable device abuts said cam surface and theposition of abutment to the cam surface by said movable device changesaccording to the tilt of the movable member, said cam surface beingshaped so that the energized force of the spring is balanced with arevolution moment of said movable member due to the weight of thetelevision monitor, and said movable member is thereby held at a desiredposition.
 11. A television stand according to claim 10 wherein a guideslit forms said guide means and a rotor mounted on said movable devicerotatably abuts against said cam surface.
 12. A television standaccording to claim 10 wherein said base stand is composed of a fixeddisk, a rotation disk inlaid in said fixed disk horizontal-rotatably,and a member secures the movable member attached to the revolution disk.